The Effects of No Shopping Month

in harmony with my new vision in life and my new habits (see this article to understand it), I decided to do a month of no shopping. Yes, you got it: No shopping! Just one week into this experiment, I realised that I couldn’t have chosen a worse point in time. In Spain, February is the last month of sales. The last change to buy coats and shoes with discounts between 50% and 70%. 🙁 And I just received an email from a local store announcing their sales market. As you see, it has been very hard so far.

Effects of a shopping-free month

I want to be clear about one thing: I’m not a very impulsive person, and I do think and analyse a lot before buying clothes and shoes. But, still, it has been very difficult so far. I felt like being on a diet: I think about clothes very often, I’m always looking at shop windows trying to force myself not to enter. Really, it feels like a rehabilitation programme.

However, there is always a positive side to this kind of challenge. After three weeks of not buying any clothes, shoes and accessories, I’ve noticed five remarkable differences:

1. You rediscover your closet

By not buying anything, you have to take a closer look at your current selection of clothes. Instead of constantly hunting for new items, you realise that at the bottom of your wardrobe, there are some beautiful gems that you haven’t been wearing for a long time.

2. You come up with new outfits

Since you don’t add anything new, you have to reinvent your daily outfit. You may have to introduce some of the items you’ve rediscovered in step one. I’m sure you will feel inspired and have some new ideas on how to mix and match your current clothes.

3. You filter your wardrobe

If you keep wearing the same things all the time, you reach a point where you realise what you really enjoy wearing, what you don’t like anymore and — even more important — what you actually need. These days I have labelled some of the items with “I love it“ while I think of others: “Why do I still have this?“

4. Get to know your style

For many of you, this may be the most important benefit. Once you fall in love with specific items or decided to throw away others (as described in step three), you end up defining your individual style. You get a better understanding of what fits you, what feels good on you and how it makes you look.

5. You save money

If none of the above has been compelling enough, this one is definitely a game changer. As I said, I’m not a shopping addict and don’t buy expensive items at all. But still, this month of “fashion diet”, I saved a lot more and at least 20% more than usual went to my savings account.

I also realised that I have more spare time available and I dedicated it mostly to reading.

My personal closet

I’m leaving you with some photos of my closet. I know there’s nothing posh about it, but don’t forget to stay away from the “perfect” life image that many people are imposing on us. This is only half my wardrobe: you can see shirts, blazers, pants and jeans. The sweaters, t-shirts and some dresses are being folded on another side of the closet. The summer stuff is being kept in two separate boxes.

I want to learn from you:

How did the sales season go for you? How often do you go shopping? Would you dare to try a zero-shopping month?